Yellowknife (Feb 17/06) - Mayor Gord Van Tighem says Yellowknife is one of the most over-governed regions in Canada.

In response to whether or not Yellowknife needs more representation to promote the city's issues in the legislative assembly, Van Tighem said: "In Red Deer, Alberta, there is one MP, two MLAs, eight city councillors and a mayor to service 60,000 residents."

The Northwest Territories currently has one MP, 19 MLAs, and 33 communities - each with its own councillors and chiefs or mayors. The Territories' current population is just under 43,000.

But Great Slave MLA Bill Braden thinks it's time to renegotiate some of the electoral boundaries in order to properly represent communities.

Using a population comparison of ridings, Braden made a presentation at the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries meeting on Feb. 6.

Braden discussed the possibility of changing the boundaries of Deh Cho and Tu Nedhe, two areas he says are over-represented because of small populations.

He believes Range Lake and Yellowknife South are under-represented.

The solution is not hiring more MLAs, Braden said in his report, because the cost would be too high.

According to Braden, each MLA costs the Northwest Territories between $800,000 and $1 million per member for a combination of salaries, constituency allowances and member activities on committees.